[Watch] Aiden Markram holds his nerve to take a breathtaking catch in ENG vs SA T20 World Cup 2024 match
South African captain Aiden Markram held his nerve to pull one of the best catches of T20 World Cup 2024. He, thereby, sealed the game against England at Gros Islet in St.Lucia on Friday, June 21. The 29-year-old was running towards the boundary and completed the catch cleanly to get rid of Harry Brook.
The dismissal occurred in the 20th over of the innings, sent down by Anrich Nortje, tasked with the responsibility of defending 14. Harry Brook looked for the big shot and skied the ball down the ground. Markram kept tracking the ball over his shoulder and took a tumbling catch, forcing Brook to walk back to the pavilion for 53. The next pair of Sam Curran and Jofra Archer couldn't hit the required runs as the Proteas took the game by seven runs.
The Centurion-born cricketer took a similar stunner against Bangladesh in New York when Mahmudullah tried to strike one for a six. The catch also proved decisive as the Proteas beat Bangladesh by four runs.
Aiden Markram fails with the bat but South Africa make enough runs to win
The skipper failed with the bat as he managed 1 run off 2 deliveries before Adil Rashid cleaned him up against England. Nevertheless, Quinton de Kock and David Miller stood up with the bat with 65 and 43 runs, respectively. England made a good comeback in the second half of the Proteas innings to leave themselves 164 to chase down.
England lost Phil Salt in the second over of the innings, while the likes of Jos Buttler, Jonny Bairstow, and Moeen Ali couldn't make a massive difference either. Harry Brook and Liam Livingstone revived the defending champions' chances with a 78-run stand.
Brook got to his half-century off only 34 balls, but could not take England home and end South Africa's unbeaten run. With two wins from two matches, Markram's men have almost firmed their spot in the semi-finals. Their last Super 8 match is against the West Indies on Sunday, June 23.